ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY 9th GRADE SYLLABUS

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1 ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY 9th GRADE SYLLABUS INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Lauren Zolkiewicz Wheaton HS EDLINE: this course can be found at The site includes syllabus, rubrics, writing and research guides, chapter lists of terms and objectives, as well as assignment calendars. TEXT: students will use a variety of texts, and will have considerable choice as to which Which text is used, with the goal of using the Brinkley text by the time of the AP test. US History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Exam, by Newman & Schmalbach, Amsco School Publications. American History: A Survey, 10 th ed. By Alan Brinkley Textbook website: Digital History www. ushistory.org READINGS: Digital History (primary, secondary sources) digitalhistory.uh.edu Textbook website History Matters OBJECTIVES: Students will become familiar with the significant political, diplomatic, economic, demographic, social and cultural changes which have made up the American experience from the time of the encounter between Europeans and Native Americans to the 1980 s. Students will prepare successfully to complete the AP US History Exam in May. Students will appreciate the interpretive nature of the study of history through the analysis of primary source documents, the discussion of secondary sources which present varied interpretations of the past, and the synthesis of historical evidence to support a particular point of view through essays, debate, and writing. Students will acquire and improve on learning skills essential for academic success, such as independent reading, note-taking, and writing. COURSE THEMES: course content will include consideration of the following: American diversity American identity Culture Demographic changes

2 Economic transformations Environment Globalization Politics and citizenship Reform Religion Slavery and its legacies in North America War and diplomacy LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Students will be expected to participate in their own learning in this class through a variety of different activities, and will also be expected to prepare for class by doing homework on a regular basis. A variety of texts may be used so that the students are comfortable with the resource that they use most frequently. They will be asked to read and take notes in an interactive notebook, which will be created by students on a model provided in class. Material provided by the teacher will be recorded on the right side of the notebook and students will process the new information on the left side. Notebooks will be checked and graded on a regular basis as homework/classwork. Class activities will include teacher presentation of new material, discussion of readings, document analysis, essay planning and writing, maps and other learning skills, and discussions, simulations, and debates on historical issues. GRADING POLICY Students will be assessed on their understanding of the objectives, including specific content as well as skill based assignments. All work will be completed in the interactive notebook unless otherwise noted. Each week s assignments and activities will be listed on a weekly calendar, which will be posted on Edline and handed out in class. Homework/classwork points will be worth 10% of the overall grade, and will be earned for completion of daily assignments and keeping up the notebook, which will be collected periodically. Formative assessments (40% of overall grade) will include weekly open note chapter quizzes, monthly group quizzes, some brief and longer writings both in and outside of class, and participation in simulations, discussions, and other class activities. Late homework and other assignments will be accepted with penalty until the summative activity for that material has been completed. Formative assessments may be redone if they were submitted on time. Summative assessments (50% of overall grade) will include monthly multiple choice tests and some essay writings. The first semester final exam will be on the model of an actual AP test. Grades will consist of points based on the breadth of coverage and type of assessment; for example, chapter quizzes are typically worth 15 points, while multiple chapter unit tests are worth approximately 50 points. Essays will always be assessed based on the standard AP 9 point rubric, converted to a 20 or 30 point grade. Letter grades at the end the quarter will be allotted based on the following percentages of possible points earned in the categories of summative assessment, formative assessment, and homework/classwork: A = 90% B = 80% C = 70% D = 60%

3 EXPECTATIONS AND POLICIES FOR STUDENTS IN 9 TH GRADE AP HISTORY Advanced Placement classes are very challenging for high school students, but especially so for ninth graders. Students will be given as much support as possible to learn how to function in the classroom (and outside of it) at this very high level. It is not expected that ninth graders already know how to be successful in such a class, and so the class will be geared toward teaching students how to learn how to read a high level text with understanding, to take notes and use them, to write coherent paragraphs and essays, to think about history in an analytical and interpretive way, not just to learn the facts about the past. Success may be defined as significant student growth from the beginning of the year until the end. Hopefully, the outcome will be a passing score on the AP test in May. Whatever the outcome of that test, students will have benefited from taking this course because they will improve their learning skills and analytical abilities in ways that will clearly help them to be more successful in the long run. Because of the challenges that this course presents, students will be expected to attend extra study sessions at lunch and after school when they show some difficulty completing or understanding the work. There will be occasional required lunch time review sessions before tests. It is assumed that students taking this class are committed to challenging themselves to learn and to grow academically by completing the work assigned and preparing to take the AP test in May. It is expected that students will complete all assignments thoroughly and on time, without excuses. It is also expected that they will accept the extra help that is offered to them if it appears to be necessary.

4 COURSE OUTLINE PRECOLUMBIAN SOCIETIES AND THE TRANSATLANTIC ENCOUNTERS Describe the complexity of pre-columbian societies in the Americas. What was the impact of the encounter between Native Americans, Europeans and Africans on the New World? Contrast early settlements of the Spanish, French and British in the New World. Amsco, ch. 1; Brinkley ch. 1; Digital History, The First Americans, Exploration and Discovery ; ushistory.org, ch. 1; hippocampus, ch. 1 Begin the interactive notebook Writing a paragraph in history: topic sentence and supporting evidence. COLONIAL PERIOD What different demographic, social, economic and political patterns emerged in the English colonies? Why did slavery emerge as a labor system in the American colonies? What then is the American, this new man? What was the source of conflict between Great Britain and France and how were the colonies affected? what caused the growing split between Great Britain and her colonies? Amsco, ch.2-4; Brinkley ch. 2-4; ushistory.org, ch. 2-9; hippocampus, ch. 2-3 Introduction to document analysis DBQ discussion: New England vs. the Chesapeake DBQ worksheet: French and Indian War Free response essay activity: examining sample essays and the rubric THE NEW NATION How and why were the American colonies able to win independence from Great Britain? What was impact of the revolutionary ideology on American life and culture? What was the role of the Republican Woman in the new society? What kind of political system was created by the Founding Fathers? What challenges did the new nation face in domestic and foreign affairs? Amsco, ch. 5-7; Brinkley ch. 5-8; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch. 4-8 Free response essay: Strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation; or formation of political parties in the 1790 s THE ANTEBELLUM ERA What was the historical significance of Andrew Jackson s presidency? What were the contrasting economic systems emerging in North and South? What were the reasons for, and the impact of, the reform impulse of the mid nineteenth century? Amsco, ch. 8-11; Brinkley ch. 9-12; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch DH: Political battles of the Jacksonian Era Free response essay writing on Jacksonian Era Seminar: Slavery in America (notes from DH) DBQ worksheet on the reformers EXPANSION AND DIVISION

5 What was the impact of expansionism on national unity? How did North and South try in vain to avoid the split? Was the Civil War an inevitable conflict? Why did the North win the Civil War and did they win the peace? What was the outcome of Reconstruction? What was the economic impact of the Civil War on each region (North, South and West)? Amsco, ch ; Brinkley ch ; ushistory.org, ch , 40-41; hippocampus, ch DBQ on sectionalism DBQ activity on Reconstruction Free response essay on The New South THE INDUSTRIAL NATION What were the significant economic changes of the late nineteenth century? How did industrialization affect American society? How did various groups respond to the emerging urban industrial society? How was the political system transformed by the economic and social changes? What were the Progressives trying to do? What major reforms were enacted in the areas of government, the workplace, the neighborhood, the environment, and the business world? Amsco, ch , 21; Brinkley ch , 21-22; ushistory.org, ch , 42-43; hippocampus, ch Document analysis: capitalism and its critics Document analysis: Progressives and the youth of America: statistics, descriptive studies, and photography BECOMING A WORLD POWER Why did the United States step out onto the world stage at the turn of the twentieth century? How successful were American Presidents in the early twentieth century at protecting American interests overseas? Why did the United States enter World War I? What was the diplomatic, political and social impact of World War I on the United States? Amsco, ch. 20, 22; Brinkley ch. 20,23; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch DBQ American expansionism THE YEARS BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS In what respects was the decade of the 1920 s a New Era in America? What caused the Great Depression? How did the political debate over dealing with the Great Depression lead to a fundamental change in the role of government in American society and the economy? What was the link between economic disasters and the rise of totalitarian governments? Why did the United States attempt to avoid dealing with Fascist aggression in the 1930 s?

6 Amsco, ch ; Brinkley ch ; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch DBQ The New Deal; free response on the New Deal Document Analysis: Consumerism in the 1920 s NEW KINDS OF WAR What was the impact of American involvement in World War II on the American economy and social structure? Why did the Allies win the war and how did they try to win the peace? What caused the Cold War? What was the political and social impact of the Cold War on the United States? Amsco, ch ; Brinkley ch ; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch Document analysis: The Homefront: selling the war through posters, mass media, etc. Debate: the decision to drop the atomic bomb DBQ activity :the Cold War Free response essay: the Cold War THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY What tensions lie beneath the surface of the tranquility of the 50 s? What was the Ordeal of Liberalism? what happened to the Cold War in the 1960 s? why did the United States fight a prolonged and futile war in Vietnam? Why were American social structures under siege in the 1960 s? How did Richard Nixon s Presidency exacerbate existing tensions in America? Why was détente achieved in the 1970 s? why did it end? In what ways did America swing to the right in the 1980 s? Amsco, ch ; Brinkley ch ; ushistory.org, ch ; hippocampus, ch DBQ the Civil Rights Movement DBQ on the Vietnam War